Arsenal STILL have injury concerns over Alexis Sanchez

I do not know if it is because of all the criticism that the Arsenal manager received back at the end of November after the Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez had to limp off the pitch towards the end of the Premier League draw away to Norwich City.

Whatever the reason, Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal medical team appear to be treating the forward with extreme caution as he works his way back to full fitness and a comeback into the first team. It has been weeks since we heard that Sanchez was close to a comeback but as yet there has been no sign of our star man.

And there is no guarantee that the former Barcelona man will feature in the crucial game against the reigning champions Chelsea this weekend, as the manager explained during the press conference reported by The Mirror that he would not make a final decision until the dynamic attacker had come through a couple more training sessions and proved himself, although Wenger did sound fairly optimistic.

He told the press, “The doubt is that he has been out for a long time and it is a great risk of a setback.

“He has cleared on all the tests. That’s one thing. Then he has to clear training.

“I am cautious with him. We do not want to take a gamble but the signs he has shown in training are good.”